Languages influence our thoughts, actions, and how we perceive the world. In Lera Boroditsky video, she discusses how languages shape the way we think. I was astonished as I listened to her speak about the diversity of the thousands of languages spoken in the world.
Something that stood out to me was that as English speakers, we tend to use words that put blame on the person, even if it was an accident. This was interesting to me because last week in psychology class we watched a video talking about eyewitnesses. In this video a car crashes into another car and when the eyewitness are questioned, two different words are used: smashed and bumped. Those who were asked, ” How fast do you think the car was going when it smashed into the other car?” gave answers around 50 mph. Those answers were different from those who were asked the same question, but using the word bumped instead. Their answers averaged around 20 mph. As I was listening to Boroditsky speak, this video came to mind, and it amazed me as how much language can affect how we remember events.
Language also affected how C. S. Lewis viewed “The Great Knock.” Lewis listened to his father’s and brother’s experience on this mentor and formed an image of what this person would be like. Lewis pictured The Great Knock as a touchy, older man, but instead he was met by a man who challenged his views and caused him to think about what he said and why. While in high school, I had a teacher who constantly reminded us to use the correct word at the right time. He used to tell us that if we wanted to communicate more effectively with others, we needed to speak with words that best conveyed our thoughts.
Language shapes the way we view the world and each other. When someone is telling a story, we are all envisioning something, whether or not it is accurate to what actually occurred. It reminds me of when my art teacher told us all to draw a flower. A simple task, yet we all had unique flowers. This shows me that when I am speaking to a group of people, I am envisioning one thing in my mind and I am trying to convey the same thought.
How can I use words to more accurately portray my thoughts?
Be Your Own Hero 
I think your final question and personal anecdote link nicely to the purpose of our first project – the powers of language (and description) to influence the mindset of our audiences is tangible, and your reflections on Lewis and Boroditsky point to that.
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